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Why we need the Parental Rights Amendment
Parental rights in America are at increased risk from both the federal courts
and international law. Domestically, the Supreme Court's decision in Troxel
v. Granville (2000) removed from parental rights the high legal protection
accorded to all other fundamental rights, leaving judges to weigh parental
rights against the interests of the child, the State, and even third parties on
a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, ratification of the UN's Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC), which would overrule State-level family law and
constitutionally implied parental rights, is a stated goal of the current
administration. One federal court in New York has already twice held that the
treaty is even binding without ratification, under the theory of "Customary"
International Law. The Amendment will correct both of these threats.
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